Eiza González was told by Hollywood she was “too hot” for many roles
Mexican actress Eiza González has revealed she has been turned down for Hollywood roles due to being “too hot” leading her to suffer an “identity crisis”.
The star most recently starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in 2022’s Ambulance and her next project sees González team up with British director Guy Ritchie for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The upcoming movie, set for release on April 19th, also features Henry Cavill and Alex Pettyfer.
While González’s acting career has been going swimmingly for many years since her breakout Hollywood role in Edgar Wright’s 2017 film Baby Driver, it hasn’t always been this way, and at one stage, she was regularly being rejected due to her appearance.
The famed actor, who hails from Mexico City, believes a significant reason why she was being overlooked on such a frequent basis was because of stereotypes attached to Latin women.
In a new interview with InStyle, González commented: “I just think it’s an overly sexualized idea of a Latin woman. It’s so disappointing and it’s so pathetic.”
However, González is thankful that she’s now reached a stage in her career where she can sit comfortably in her own lane, but admits getting to this point “single-handedly” represents “the biggest challenge of my career.”
Additionally, González noted, “None of my white friends who were in the industry were getting that. It was just me.”
While González refrained from mentioning specific films that she was deemed an inappropriate fit due to her appearance, she added: “I remember being [told for] so many projects, ‘She’s too pretty for the role. She’s too hot for the role,. Then I’d just be like, What is Margot Robbie? She’s the hottest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life!“
Furthermore, the constant rejection she faced during this portion of her career left González feeling self-conscious and contemplating making drastic changes to the way she looks in order to gain more roles.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare star continued: “I had an identity crisis for a very long time. I was like, Do I shave my head? Do I make myself less attractive? Do I make myself more attractive? Do I not dress super-hot or do I dress super-hot or do I cover myself all the time?“
Similarly, before gaining Hollywood superstardom, Jennifer Lawrence was told that her looks would prevent her from landing Winter’s Bone, a role she eventually secured and earned a ‘Best Actress’ nomination from the Academy Awards.
Speaking to NPR in 2010, Lawrence explained how she changed their minds, recalling: “Well they… turned me down and then they moved casting to New York, and I put myself on a red-eye to just show up to casting the next day in New York. So that always helps. Red-eye. Not showering. No makeup. Eventually they went, ‘Oh, she’s right. She’s not cute!'”